Washington State University is hosting the 38th annual Sewing and Stitchery Expo from March 2-6. For the second time, the popular event will be 100% virtual.
Coordinated by WSU Academic Outreach and Innovation (AOI) Professional Education (ProfEd), the Expo is the nation’s largest consumer sewing show.
“WSU has been curating and managing this show since 1984, and it’s grown immensely since then. In past years, we would welcome more than 20,000 visitors over 5 days at the Washington State Fairgrounds,” said Jennifer Cook, AOI’s ProfEd director. “It’s a heavily anticipated event each year, and COVID-19 hasn’t changed that. But hosting the event virtually gives our participants the ability to attend the event from the comfort and safety of their own homes.”
The Expo is designed for sewing and stitching enthusiasts interested in creating their own clothing, costumes, quilts, fiber arts such as knitting and tatting, and other textile-related projects.
“People who attend this event are an enthusiastic and diverse group, with interests in quilting, home textiles, garment making, costumes, wool crafting, accessories, bag making, and anything that can be made with textiles, yarns, and more,” said Cook. “They look forward to this event all year. They even have their own fan Facebook page to engage with other participants with similar interests and to pick up tips for creating their best Expo experience.”
As in 2021, this year’s events will be delivered 100% online through a virtual platform that ProfEd has customized to become an industry leader for virtual events.
Last year, the Expo welcomed 4,025 individual registrants, 47% of whom had never attended the event before. Virtual attendance averaged 2,992 registrants each day, participating in 383 course sessions over 5 days. Registrants from 13 countries were in attendance.
“One popular feature of the Expo was the ability to watch recorded sessions, allowing participants to double-book sessions,” said Cook. “Our participants will have the same level of flexibility this year.”
According to Cook, ProfEd viewed last year’s virtual event as a huge success.
“The response we received last year was incredibly positive. We worked to create the best experience possible in a virtual format, and we got a lot of great feedback in that regard,” said Cook. “We’re looking forward to providing another quality virtual experience that allows our attendees to learn and expand their horizons doing activities that they love.”
Registration for Expo runs through the last day of the event, March 6. To register for the Expo, view the event catalogue, and to purchase course tickets, visit the Expo’s website.
